Thanks to the NBA's skyrocketing TV contracts and smaller rosters, a basketball career can be quite lucrative compared to other major sports.
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The 25 highest-paid NBA players of all time
While many greats of the past 20 years are among the highest paid of all time, these years also led to some large contracts for some otherwise mediocre players.
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This is especially true for the athletes who played a large chunk of their careers between the late 1990s and the 2011 lockout. These years led to some large contracts for players we might not consider among the all-time greats.
But with the recent surge in the NBA's salary cap, today's stars are starting to catch up, and even surpass, those players in career earnings.
Here is a look at the 25 players who have made at least $160 million, according to data collected from Spotrac and Basketball-Reference:
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25. Tony Parker ― $160.8 million
Seasons: 16
Highest single-season salary: $14.4 million
Championships: 4
All-Star Games: 6
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NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
24. Amar'e Stoudemire ― $161.6 million
Seasons: 14
Highest single-season salary: $23.4 million
Championships: 0
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All-Star Games: 6
NBA First-team All-NBA: 1
23. Tracy McGrady ― $163.0 million
Seasons: 15
Highest single-season salary: $23.2 million
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Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 7
NBA First-team All-NBA: 2
22. Elton Brand — $165.9 million
Seasons: 17
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Highest single-season salary: $17.1 million
Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 2
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
21. Vince Carter ― $167.1 million
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Seasons: 20
Highest single-season salary: $18.3 million
Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 8
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
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20. Jermaine O'Neal ― $167.6 million
Seasons: 18
Highest single-season salary: $23 million
Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 6
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NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
19. Tyson Chandler ― $171.6 million
Seasons: 17
Highest single-season salary: $14.8 million
Championships: 1
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All-Star Games: 1
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
18. Chris Webber ― $178.2 million
Seasons: 15
Highest single-season salary: $19.1 million
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Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 5
NBA First-team All-NBA: 1
17. Ray Allen ― $184.4 million
Seasons: 18
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Highest single-season salary: $18.8 million
Championships: 2
All-Star Games: 10
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
16. Zach Randolph ― $184.9 million
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Seasons: 17
Highest single-season salary: $17.8 million
Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 2
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
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15. Chris Paul ― $186.8 million
Seasons: 13
Highest single-season salary: $24.3 million
Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 9
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NBA First-team All-NBA: 4
14. Jason Kidd ― $187.7 million
Seasons: 19
Highest single-season salary: $21.4 million
Championships: 1
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All-Star Games: 10
NBA First-team All-NBA: 5
13. Dwyane Wade ― $194.0 million
Seasons: 15
Highest single-season salary: $23.2 million
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Championships: 3
All-Star Games: 12
NBA First-team All-NBA: 2
12. Paul Pierce ― $195.1 million
Seasons: 19
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Highest single-season salary: $19.8 million
Championships: 1
All-Star Games: 10
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
11. Pau Gasol — $199.0 million
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Seasons: 17
Highest single-season salary: $19.3 million
Championships: 2
All-Star Games: 6
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
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10. Dwight Howard — $210.2 million
Seasons: 14
Highest single-season salary: $23.2 million
Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 8
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NBA First-team All-NBA: 5
9. Chris Bosh — $212.2 million
Seasons: 13
Highest single-season salary: $23.7 million
Championships: 2
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All-Star Games: 11
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
8. Joe Johnson — $214.0 million
Seasons: 17
Highest single-season salary: $24.9 million
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Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 7
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
7. Carmelo Anthony ― $227.4 million
Seasons: 15
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Highest single-season salary: $26.2 million
Championships: 0
All-Star Games: 10
NBA First-team All-NBA: 0
6. LeBron James ― $233.9 million
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Seasons: 15
Highest single-season salary: $33.3 million
Championships: 3
All-Star Games: 13
NBA First-team All-NBA: 11
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5. Tim Duncan ― $240.1 million
Seasons: 19
Highest single-season salary: $22.2 million
Championships: 5
All-Star Games: 15
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NBA First-team All-NBA: 10
4. Dirk Nowitzki ― $246.6 million
Seasons: 20
Highest single-season salary: $25.0 million
Championships: 1
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All-Star Games: 13
NBA First-team All-NBA: 4
3. Shaquille O'Neal ― $286.3 million
Seasons: 19
Highest single-season salary: $27.7 million
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Championships: 4
All-Star Games: 15
NBA First-team All-NBA: 8
2. Kobe Bryant ― $323.3 million
Seasons: 20
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Highest single-season salary: $30.5 million
Championships: 5
All-Star Games: 18
NBA First-team All-NBA: 11
1. Kevin Garnett ― $334.3 million
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Seasons: 21
Highest single-season salary: $28 million
Championships: 1
All-Star Games: 15
NBA First-team All-NBA: 4
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